China: Parents Storm Shaanxi Lead Smelting Plant

In China’s Shaanxi province, hundreds of parents stormed a local smelting plant after their children fell ill. Pollution from the plant has apparently made more than 600 kids sick with lead poisoning.

According to state-run Xinhua News Agency, parents broke through fences to gain access to Dongling Lead and Zinc Smelting Co. Inside, they held an angry protest and smashed vehicles. Reportedly 100 policemen were mobilized to deal with them.

Authorities have made free lead poison testing available to kids under 14 years old, but not for anyone older. They’ve taken no action to find out whether adults have been affected.

Disasters resulting from China’s lax safety and environmental standards often trigger protests. This Dongling protest may have been partly triggered after a 19-year-old girl drank pesticides on Sunday afternoon in a possible attempted suicide. Her mom had told her she couldn’t afford to pay for her daughter’s lead poisoning test.

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